Memorial Day brings out Wrigley memories

The famous Wrigley Field jet stream was there in all its glory that day. So were the slugging, first-place Milwaukee Braves.

Also on hand were the struggling, last-place Cubs--and 29,113 fans, most of whom had no inkling as to what they were about to see.

The date was May 30, 1956, and before the then-traditional Memorial Day doubleheader was completed that afternoon, the crowd had witnessed:

- Fifteen home runs--nine by the Braves, six by the Cubs--to establish what was then a major-league record for most homers in a doubleheader;

- A bench-clearing brawl, triggered by three consecutive first-inning Milwaukee home runs;

- The sight of chubby Cubbie catcher Harry Chiti, while being given an intentional walk in Game 2, lashing out at one of the wide deliveries, driving it down the right-field line and then racing--well, running--around the bases for a rather stunning triple.

- A total of 39 runs, the Cubs winning the opener 10-9 before losing 11-9.

It all began innocently enough. The Braves' Danny O'Connell and Johnny Logan went out quietly in the first inning, but then Eddie Mathews, Henry Aaron and Bobby Thomson hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off Russ Meyer.

That was more than enough to set off Meyer, a.k.a. "the Mad Monk," a former Dodger and Phillie who was known as much for his bench-jockeying and temper tantrums as he was for his pitching exploits-- which included, at one point in his career, 17 straight victories over the Cubs.

"On the field, he wanted to win, and he would do whatever it took to win," Turk Lown, the relief pitcher who was one of Meyer's 1956 teammates, said the other day. "Off the field, though, he was a really pleasant guy. Never had any trouble with him at all."

Billy Bruton, the next Braves hitter, couldn't say the same. Meyer's first pitch was at his head and Bruton just did get out of the way. Meyer's next delivery hit Bruton in his helmet with enough force to keep the center fielder from playing in Game 2--but not enough to keep him from approaching Meyer with his bat in hand.

Bruton and Meyer exchanged words, Bruton threw a left, and the fun was on. When all parties returned to their stations, Bruton and Meyer had been excused from the game, and Lown had been brought in to relieve Meyer. The knowledge that three home runs already had been clubbed and it was still just the first inning didn't weigh heavily on Lown's mind.

"Actually, at Wrigley Field, the ball was always flying out," Lown said. "We'd come to the ballpark and look at the flags. They were always blowing out."

The Cubs came right back with three runs off the Braves' Bob Buhl in the bottom of the first, two on Gene Baker's homer. They went ahead 5-3 in the second when Lown, celebrating his 32nd birthday, hit his first and only big-league homer in 11 seasons with batterymate Hobie Landrith aboard.

"So you know the wind was blowing out if I hit one," Lown said, laughing. "But I remember it well. It was very thrilling, especially hitting it off Buhl, a good fastball pitcher."

This obviously was not a good day for any type of pitcher. Thomson homered again in the third, Joe Adcock hit one in the Braves' sixth and Landrith and Dee Fondy homered in the Cubs' sixth, Fondy's putting the Cubs ahead to stay.

In Game 2--during which both Meyer and Buhl worked in relief--Thomson hit two more long ones and Aaron and Mathews each hit one more. Going deep for the Cubs were Chiti and, not to be left out of the party, Ernie Banks.

"In the '50s," said Mr. Cub from his Southern California home, "Wrigley Field was mostly a batting-practice ballpark. It was really the `Friendly Confines' back then. Teams like the Braves loved coming to our ballpark."

During that decade, too, was the added attraction of Cubs catchers like Landrith, Clyde McCullough, Moe Thacker, Elvin Tappe and, of course, Chiti, whose surprise triple in Game 2 lives on in the minds of those who saw it in person or on TV.

"Chiti," columnist Mike Royko wrote years later, "was being walked on purpose because the next hitter was even worse."

Pete Whisenant, only slightly better, was at second after an RBI double. Chiti, waiting as Braves pitcher Ray Crone began the intentional walk, suddenly reached out and drove a looping liner over first.

Chiti took off "like a crazed hippo," as Royko put it, lumbered around the bases and finally collapsed in a heap on third.

You'd have thought that everyone, not just Chiti, would be wiped out the next day after spending all Memorial Day scoring all those runs.

No chance, not with Milwaukee hitters facing Cubs pitchers at Wrigley Field and with the wind blowing out--again.